Ribbons
by Black Lightning Bulb
Summary: If you eat bacon while wearing anything charmed by a Gringly Gondrinozzle it enhances the charms power.  Didn't you know that?


This makes me sad. Turns out, Luna becomes the equivalent of a naturalist and marries a fellow naturalist, a guy named Rolf (grandson of Newt Scamander). So it's not like Luna and Neville are married, which of course makes me sad. Oh well. They can still have something in school, can't they?

* * *

Luna tied the third ribbon in her hair with a lazy, satisfied smile. Her father had sent her a letter with shiny white ribbons that had dull gray stripes running down them. He said they were charmed by the Gringly Gondrinozzle, a loveable creature that only appeared during the month March in the year when a blue moon appeared, and would give her good luck. He also said to eat bacon while wearing them. The Gringly Gondrinozzles loved bacon and it would enhance the ribbons' protective abilities. She smiled, wishing she had the letter to look over and give her strength, but, like so many others, she now burned her mail. Anything could be seen as suspicious behavior, and they needed to protect anyone and everyone in this dark hour.

"Luna, we must be going." Padma said, popping her head in to the dormitories. "You know what happens to people who are late for meals."

Luna stood, taking her wand out from behind her ear and placing it inside her robes. "Of course, Padma." It occurred to Luna that everything about her was lazy, from her smile to her eyes, and she loved it. She looked so much like her mother in those moments, or that was what her father said. When she smiled at nothing in particular, he sometimes got teary-eyed.

"Luna!" Padma said, giving her a little shove toward the door. "Let's go." They started walking, making their way toward the Great Hall as Padma chattered away about the Transfiguration assignment given to all the seventh years. When she realized that Luna wasn't paying attention, she made her way toward the sea of students, who tried not to look like they were grouped together, in search of her sister.

"Luna!" She heard someone call out from behind her and turned to see Ginny. "Oh Luna, Flitwick's homework was so hard, could you look over mine?"

It was code, Luna remembered fleetingly. She thought she might have been looking at Neville when Ginny was explaining it. She remembered thinking that the scratch on his cheek was going to scar and how dashing it would look. "Mm-hmm, sure, Ginny." She took it, and walked away in a very lazy manner. This was why she was good at this sort of thing, espionage, she had such a relaxed manner. Who told her that again? _Think M is planning something. Be aware._ The message appeared for a second before turning in to a history of simple charms. M, who was M again? Was it one up or one down for initials? She'd just assume it's Neville. She loved Ginny, but her coding made everything complicated.

So Luna stayed on the look out for the rest of the day whenever she walked by either of the Carrows' classes, but nothing happened. When lunch rolled around, she was surprised that she hadn't even see Neville, and almost beamed herself silly when he walked in unscathed and quite normal. She had eaten bacon at breakfast that morning, the ribbons' Gringly Gondrinozzle charm must have been working double time because of it.

It was in the middle of a _very_ one-way conversation about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks with Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein when Alecto Carrow ran into the Great Hall screaming like a banshee. "Who did this?" She yelled. Luna couldn't see what she was holding in her hand, but she could see Alecto's skin was oozing reddish slime and bubbling. She turned towards the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables and there were audible gasps a they got a better look at her disgusting face. Luna didn't care about what her face looked like, it was what was attatched to her face that interested her.

It was what looked like a red blossom with long petals that moved as Alecto moved her head. Long tendrilled vines stemmed out, running down her neck and looking like little leeches. Wherever the roots touched was a deeper red then the rest of her skin. Luna didn't bother listening to frightened students answer Alecto's question as she held her wand to their throats. Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout had run up behind her, trying to quell her anger, but she pushed them away continuing her interrogation. She made her way to the Ravenclaw table and came up behind Luna, holding a clawed hand on her shoulder, digging her nails in past the fabric of her robes. Luna felt Alecto's wand slide up to her neck and was glad she had worn the ribbons today and had left her mother's neckalce in a pouch in her drawers. Another sign of the bacon's enhancing effects, she would have to write it down some where so she would remember to mention it to her father during vacation.

"Did you do this?" Alecto snarled.

Luna smiled dreamily, "No, but red really looks lovely on you Professor Carrow. Are you of the fire elements?"

Alecto's nostrils flared and before she could open her mouth again, someone said, "I did it, Professor." Luna looked over to the Gryffindor table where Neville was standing. She could see Ginny looking on in horror and felt her own mouth go dry. Thestrals wouldn't be able to stand if so many people could see them, and she didn't think people would fare so well with it, either. She didn't think she would fare so well. "I'm sorry. It must have taken on a life of its own." Was that a smirk on Neville's face? Luna swore he was smirking, but she could hear his heart racing all the way from here, or maybe that was her heart.

"Why you little-"

"Alecto, it's my fault." Professor Sprout said. "Longbottom has been failing my class, and I was trying to give him an opportunity for extra credit. He obviously failed. If you come with me, I can get you healed and better than ever in just a few minutes."

Alecto growled, pinching Luna's face and turning it towards her pulsing red one. "Is this true, girl? Is Longbottom really that much of a failure?"

Luna felt one nail starting to dig into her cheek and smiled good-naturedly. "You haven't seen him in Potions, have you, Professor?" She asked slowly, choosing her words with care.

Alecto let go of her face, straightening up and nodding towards Professor Sprout. "This better be quick, Pomona, or I swear a nasty fire might crop up in the greenhouses tonight." Professor Sprout paled, walking out quickly with Alecto on her heels. Luna felt her cheek and saw a small amount of blood on her fingers. A small price to pay, she decided, to not have anyone in a worse condition. Maybe if she wished hard enough the house elves would send up some more bacon.

The day progressed with snippets of conversation about Alecto's now healing face. Mostly it was people trying to figure out what type of plant it was. At dinner Neville passed her a piece of paper. _K.A.D._ Luna giggled as she returned to star charts wondering if Neville realized what the acronym spelled. Kad. Except it was normally spelled cad wasn't it? She thought to herself, shrugging. Kitchen after dinner. She could actually request for the house elves to send her up bacon for every meal. She could nail two Fwitter Tails with one stone.

She managed to get away from the crowd, taking some of the few passageways that the Carrows hadn't found to the entrance of the kitchen. Neville was already tickling the pear when she got there and walked in. When he noticed Luna, he held the door a little wider, pulling her in quickly and closing it.

"Anyone see you?" He asked quietly.

She shook her head and he smiled, before leading her towards the back.

"Hello Dobby." Neville said, quickly dragging Luna towards the house elves' living quarters. Dobby must have squeaked a hello, but she didn't hear it. All the house elves had grown used to regular disruption from any of the members of Dumbeldore's Army that they actually just ignored them most of the time, continuing to go about their business without actually needing to accommodate their needs every moment.

"Oh look, Dobby just did the laundry." Luna said, picking up a child's Christmas sweater and folding it neatly. Dobby had already volunteered his room when Ginny had been in need at the beginning of the year. She had been running from Amycus and Dobby had shown up outside in the nick of time letting her in and saying if any of his friends needed a place to stay, whatever was his was theirs. She continued to fold laundry, hoping Neville would say what he needed to say.

She felt him stand by her, taking some of the laundry and starting to fold it too. "How's your cheek?" He asked quietly.

Luna felt her cheek, laying her fingers on it daintily. "Oh, it's nothing, Neville. Thank you."

"I got you hurt, Luna. I should have just said it was me when she ran in the Great Hall, the freaking banshee." Neville said, roughly throwing a pair of folded socks into a basket in the corner where Luna had been placing the folded garments.

Luna placed a hand on his arm, and she felt him tense at the contact. "No, no. I'm just glad Professor Sprout stepped in. It's because she is a Fire sign." Luna took her hand back, continuing to fold in peace as Neville wandered behind her. Dobby sure had collected a lot of clothes over the years. She smiled as she folded the shirt she had given Dobby. It had a Hippogriff stitched on it. He had almost cried. "So, Neville, do we need to discuss something?" She asked, surprising herself with her straight-to-business tone of voice.

"N-no. I just, I wanted to make sure you were okay." Luna turned around and saw that Neville was lying on his stomach on Dobby's cot. She put down the shirt and walked over sit by his head. He looked up at her and smiled weakly. "That's all."

She smiled, scooting closer to him and putting her hand on the arm that he wasn't using as a pillow. "You could use my lap you know. I'm sure its much more comfortable then your arm." He smiled tiredly, lifting his head up and resting it on her thighs. He put his now free hand on top of the one that was resting on his. He closed his eyes, and she smiled. She would leave this out of her letter to her Dad, but she would have to definitely tell him that bacon did help increase the Gringly Gondrinozzle's charms on the ribbons. They most certainly did.

* * *

As always I have to profusely thank LoverFaery, my lovely beta reader who makes me actually sit down and think once and a while. Go check out her stuff, its gorgeous work. 


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